Emulsifiers play an important role in daily products such as ice cream and whipped toppings. Ice cream has been described as a partially frazen foam. Emulsifiers are added to ice cream to decrease freexing time, improve whipping quality, and produce a dry, fine, and stiff texture that melts slowly and uniformly. The emulsifiers used in ice cream are primarily mono- and di- acylglycerides and sorbitan esters. They are supplied to processors as blends with stabilizers.(e.g. with locust bean gums)
In ice cream and whipping toppings, emulsifiers stabilize the foam by actually de-stabiilizing the products emulsion. Daily protein stabilize the emulsion. Proteins do so by binding themselves via hydrophobic interaction to the triglycerides on the surfaces of fat globules. This necessary for building foam becuase they coat the surface of air cells and stabilize them.
In whipping toppings, the emulsifiers that can destabilize this emulsion and promote aggromeration aren the alpha-tending emulsifiers. Alpha tending emulisifers displace the protein from the fat globule surface to the aqueous phase. This increase the liqiud cream's viscosity and allows fat globules to agglomerate.
On the other hand, emulsifiers promote nucleation of fat during aging of mixes before freezing. Their positive effects on ice cream structure decrease tendencies for shrinkage and lower the rate of melting.